Chapter 119: The Allure of Technology

“Welcome, everyone.”

“This is Mr. Tony Stark, the inventor of the miniature gravity device.”

Sonia paid little attention to the people around her and took the initiative to introduce the more than thirty attendees who had come this time.

“He looks a bit young,” remarked a blue-skinned individual, somewhat surprised upon seeing Tony Stark’s appearance.

“Though I appreciate the compliment, I’m actually in my forties,” Tony replied.

“Everyone’s busy, so let’s not waste time,” he continued. “I’ll assemble my gravity device for you and test its performance directly. After that, we can discuss further.”

“The installation won’t take long, and if you’re not satisfied, I can remove it intact for you.”

A smile appeared on Tony’s face as he spoke.

“That would be ideal,” said one of the attendees. These people were here mainly on orders, so they needed to carefully examine the device’s capabilities.

“Please wait a moment,” Tony said.

“Iron Man armor, deploy!”

With that command, Tony called out.

Everyone’s eyes widened as parts of the armor shot through the sky at speeds exceeding Mach 2, causing sonic booms that echoed through the air.

The spectacle was breathtaking. As the pieces neared Tony, their speed slowed, and they swiftly and orderly assembled themselves onto his body.

In just over ten seconds, Tony’s appearance transformed dramatically. Clad in a gold-and-red mechanical armor exuding cutting-edge technology, he looked remarkably impressive.

“Looks somewhat like the Nova Corps,” someone remarked.

“The Nova Corps’ suits are different; theirs are battle suits, while this is more of a battle armor,” another corrected.

“This device looks excellent, but I wonder about its actual performance,” others said, intrigued by the self-assembling armor.

The Nova Corps’ battle suits were famous throughout the galaxy, granting greater power amplification as one’s star rank increased. However, their standards were extremely high, making it nearly impossible for other alien species to obtain or wield the Nova power.

Now, here was a humanoid battle armor whose assembly speed alone was enough to cause sonic booms—proof that its baseline performance was far from ordinary.

Even if it couldn’t be used in the vacuum of space, being wearable and combat-ready on various planets would undoubtedly bring tremendous advantages.

Tony noticed their growing interest in his Iron Man armor and was not surprised—this was precisely the effect he wanted.

In the vast universe, he was still an unknown nobody. To gain recognition for his technology, he needed to showcase something dazzling that would catch others’ attention and elevate their perception of his skills.

Without further words, Tony activated the thrusters beneath his feet, propelling himself high into the sky.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., scan the structures of these space fighters and calculate the optimal positions for installing the gravity devices,” he ordered.

“Understood, sir,” J.A.R.V.I.S. responded promptly. Red lights emitted from the armor’s eyes as scanning commenced.

Now came Tony’s moment to shine.

The crowd watched as Tony, clad in his Iron Man armor, zipped swiftly through the air, retrieving devices one after another.

He effortlessly hacked into the space fighters’ security protocols, flinging their doors wide open. Then, with fluid grace, he began dismantling and installing components.

Being able to override the security with ease demonstrated the extraordinary level of technology Tony had invented.

The battle armor’s burst speed—whether it was the maximum or not—had already reached Mach 3.

This sparked a fervor in the eyes of the representatives from more than a dozen companies present to assess the gravity device’s performance.

If they could equip their planetary militaries with such Iron Man armors, it would be the ultimate weapon.

Across the cosmos, various species were not lacking in heavy firepower or even genetic serums. But even with genetic enhancements granting physical transformations, these only slightly surpassed ordinary limits.

No one’s natural body could reach supersonic speeds or fly freely.

Thus, this humanoid battle armor symbolized the possibility of mechanical ascension—allowing an ordinary person’s strength to rival that of superpowered beings.

Members of the Void Cult were equally dazzled.

“Renoli, can your speed keep up with him?” Kyle asked, watching Tony’s swift maneuvers in the sky, controlling the armor with ease.

“I couldn’t before, but now I can,” Renoli replied, arms crossed as he leaned against a tree, clearly tracking Tony’s movements.

“Though it wouldn’t be hard to snipe this armor with a single shot,” he added.

“But this armor seems entirely Tony’s own creation. I must say, that kind of talent is terrifying,” the Seer commented.

Since joining the Void, his physique had become extraordinary, and his precognition had grown stronger.

With high tech and favorable terrain, even speeds multiple times the sound barrier wouldn’t help—he could easily take Tony down from a distance.

Yet no one could deny that this Iron Man armor was a form of super-technology. If Tony were willing to sell it, it could bring him immeasurable wealth.

However, it was clear Tony had no intention of mass-producing and selling the armor—it was a non-sale item.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother researching gravity devices to make money.

“If we could equip every member of the Void Cult with this, it would truly be an army of Iron Man suits,” Kyle said, looking up at Tony’s high-speed flight.

“As long as we keep evolving, gaining the ability to fly will be only a matter of time.”

“Right now, Tony treats this as a non-sale item because the armor is indispensable to him.”

“But when Tony Stark’s power grows immensely in the future, he might produce some for others,” the Seer said slowly.

Having witnessed the gods of the Void and their cosmic exploits, the Seer never doubted whether he would fly someday. He just needed more time to evolve and grow stronger.

“I think this armor will be hard to replace,” Lacey said, able to trace only faint movement patterns.

“Such armors usually mount all kinds of firepower.”

“As long as Tony Stark continues his research, the firepower will only get stronger.”

“The charm of technology lies in this: when you’re poor, you rely on tactical maneuvers; when wealthy, you cover everything with firepower.”

When a highly advanced civilization attacks a backward one, overwhelming firepower leaves the latter no chance to retaliate.

Once technology reaches a certain level, destroying an entire planet is difficult—but wiping out all life and environments on a planet is not.

This is the fundamental reason such cosmic treaties and restrictions exist.

—— End of digression ——

Continuing the daily writing streak, here’s the first update.